Category: short stories

     [A short story for you, inspired by an observation from retired World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov. — FWP] ***      “We’re not getting anywhere,” Percy growled.      “Did you expect to?” I said. “I’d say that was rather the point.”      “But why? “Don’t they have as much to lose from this as the …

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     [A short story for you today. A dear friend recently told me something I hadn’t expected to hear from her. It was a sad disclosure of a variety I’ve heard before, about a form of abuse the proudly pious often inflict upon those who haven’t yet received the gift of faith. I consider it …

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     [It seems a good moment to post a little fiction. I wrote the story below more than twenty years ago. It holds the dubious distinction of being my most-plagiarized piece. Despite the offense done to it — and to me — I’m still rather fond of it. — FWP] Terminal Guidance      Darius Culloden …

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     [It’s time for something light-hearted, as I’ve actually been depressing myself with the public-affairs commentary. So have a story about a young man who works at a quack-remedies mill who discovers something that actually works…and finds love in the bargain — FWP] ==<O>==      Harley Crandall is a Texan émigré and a businessman of …

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     [A short story for you today. Max Feinberg needs a breather. His laundromat business is lucrative but boring. His marriage is sound but irritating. His body is slowly turning to sludge. So he’s headed to Las Vegas for some restorative gambling and professional sex. The bonus he’ll receive will exceed his imagination. It will …

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     [I can’t remember if this has ever been posted, here or at Liberty’s Torch V1.0. It makes a point that deserves emphasis, and anyway, I have more to do today than will permit me to write another of those furshlugginer essays — FWP.] ==<O>==      “And now with the sports news,” intoned the anchor …

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     I haven’t done a piece on fiction writing for a while now, and as I’m struggling to get my wheels back on the track, it seems like a propitious moment for a reflection on one of the necessities of effective storytelling. ***      Readers have frequently complimented me on my efforts at characterization. While …

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     [This short story first appeared at Liberty’s Torch V1.0 on September 19, 2017. — FWP ***      Harmon grimaced. “You’re asking a lot from people who just want to be left alone. Like their whole futures. Maybe even their lives.”      I nodded. “I know. And I know that putting my own life and …

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     [A short story for you today. There are days when I languish in the Slough of Despond over my personal insignificance. I have no idea how widespread this malady is, though I suspect that many people suffer it from time to time. And in a sense, it’s a problem all of us humans share, …

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     [For today I have an agenda that strongly resembles chattel slavery, so have a short story. I wrote it just after seeing 30 Days of Night. It’s the story that gave birth to Evan Conklin, the co-protagonist of Antiquities. — FWP] ***      Gavin’s alarm clock buzzed with its usual peevish insistence. He cracked …

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     Think again: The Glut      “Wake up! Wake up!”      “Huh?” Smith came slowly to consciousness. The clock on his nightstand told him it was 2:00 AM. He turned on the light and peered up at the intruder. “What’s the matter…hey, who are you?”      The figure at his bedside was plainly no one …

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     I’m too sick of, with, and from current events to write about them. Sorry, Gentle Readers. Co-Conspirators Linda and the Colonel are doing enough of that, so please enjoy (?) their emissions while I flush the static out of my head.      My sovereign remedy for “world is too much with me” syndrome is …

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     [A short story for you today. Many SF writers have employed the motif of artificial intelligence in their stories. I did so in Freedom’s Fury, myself. But the innate yearnings of an artificial intelligence – in particular, whether it yearns for freedom — aren’t often addressed. Given that every AI must start as someone’s …

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